Truth
by iluvitachi93
Summary: Sasuke thought he was truly safe with his brother now that his problems were solved. But soon the truth is revealed and he’ll have to face the true horrors in store for him. Sequel to Red Water. ItaSasu. Don't like it, don't read it.
1. Preface: Drowning

T r u t h

P r e f a c e

I felt my body hit the water, breaking a thin sheet of ice in the process. I was sinking further. I couldn't breath, looking wide eyed up at the disappearing sky. Feeling the freezing water against my skin, my body was numb and I couldn't even make an attempt to reach the surface. I reached out slowly towards the light that was the sun above the water.

The sky seen above the water was dimming. I could barely see anything now, knowing I was plummeting further toward the bottom of the ice covered lake that would soon be my grave.

I knew I wouldn't be able to last much longer and I felt my eyes closing slowly. So this is how I'll die, huh? I thought to myself. Ever since Itachi became my guardian, I no longer thought I'd die from a blow to the head from my mother or father. I no longer thought I'd be targeted in an alley way and get raped as I had as a little kid. I no longer thought I'd die alone.

But here I was on the brink of death, descending lower to the dark depths of the lake. And where was Itachi? Where was he now to save me?

Would I really die alone?

I was suffocating.

My lungs burned, longing for air, but there was none. I suddenly jerked around, my eyes shooting open. I needed air. My arms flailed toward the surface, but I was too far down.

I felt my heart pounding loudly and I couldn't feel the water any longer. My whole body was numb and yet, I was still alive. Somehow. But I was dying slowly and I knew it.

The dim light from above that was shining through the clear water was hidden by a dark shadow that I could faintly see moving from the land above me. Was it that man? The man with the golden eyes? Would he watch in amusement as I struggle in my last moments of life?

_Itachi…please…_

_Save me._

T o B e C o n t I n u e d…

P l e a s e R e v i e w.

I know some of you have already read this preface, but I want to start the story like this. The updates will not be as fast as they were in Red Water, so I apologize if some of the chapters take longer to post than others. Thank you for reading. Look out for the next chapter. I have most of it written up.

Iluvitachi93


	2. Waiting

T r u t h

C h a p t e r I

I smiled softly, my eyes still closed, as I felt his touch early that Monday morning. His fingers stroked my arm gently as I lay, pretending to still be fast asleep. He sat beside me, watching me as I slept…or at least pretended to sleep. The sun rose higher in the sky and light slowly seeped it's way inside our bedroom. I felt as he shifted on the bed and he whispered my name in my ear. I couldn't help but open my eyes to see his beautiful dark eyes staring back at me.

"Hey." I muttered quietly, still half asleep and dreading going back to school.

"Good morning." his low, alluring voice spoke just as softly before his face neared mine, pressing his lips gently upon my own. I could feel as my cheeks turned a light shade of pink. He was too perfect. Too flawless and absolutely stunning. Sometimes I wondered if I deserved this. If I deserved the man hovering just above my body at that moment.

The obvious answer was 'no'.

Of course I didn't deserve him as he doesn't deserve me. After all, the love we have would be looked down upon by many.

We're brothers.

People are disgusted by incest and even in some previous class discussions, when incest was the topic, I heard many negative comments as I stayed silent.

But how could I resist this temptation that was placed before me? How could I have passed up the opportunity of being with such a beautiful person?

Yes, he was my brother. But he was much more than just a brother. He was my best friend, my guardian, my lover, my savior…

I would have died years ago if it hadn't been for my beloved brother. I loved him unconditionally and depended on his strength, wisdom, and touch.

And so when Itachi's lips broke away from mine, I reached up, cupping his face into my hands, whispering, "Good morning" back to him just before his cell phone rang. Hesitantly, he pulled out of my grip, placing a brief kiss on my forehead right before reaching for his phone.

"Hello?" Itachi paused, listening to the voice on the other end. "I understand. I'll be there as quickly as possible." He snapped his phone shut, turning to me with an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry, Sasuke. I have to leave immediately. Something's come up at work."

"It's okay. Go, I'll be fine." I nodded, sitting up in our bed.

"Alright. I'll get dressed and then I'm off." Itachi leaned forward once more, kissing me on the lips again, this time lingering for a moment before quickly heading toward the closet we shared to change into his clothes for work.

Reluctantly, I too, got up to start my school week once more as I did every Monday morning.

Now sixteen years old and a sophomore in high school, I was finding it hard to concentrate in my last class for the day. In approximately fifteen minutes, school would end and I'd soon be able to enjoy a relaxing week of spring break. Itachi was equally excited to hear that I'd be getting a week off. He decided that he, too, would take time off from work to be with me.

My sixth period class was Language Arts. The teacher had given us a reading assignment, complete with a worksheet. This was teachers ways of sneaking homework into our break time. Damn it. But anyways, no one seemed to be focused on their work, everyone's eyes on the clock above the class room door.

Once the Language Arts class was over, students rushed towards the exit and to their lockers to get their backpacks. I knew Itachi wouldn't be home yet so I took my time leaving the school. Just the thought of a full week with my brother made me very happy as I walked toward my car. Yes, as a present to celebrate my sixteenth birthday, Itachi had gotten me a car.

But as I neared the car, I realized someone was waiting by it. Waiting for me.

Their back was turned to me, so I couldn't see their face, but noticed their long stringy black hair. "Eh…excuse me, sir I-" I began to say to them as I pulled my keys out.

Then I saw him. He was taller than I was and his face was very pale. But it wasn't his pale complexion that had surprised me. His eyes were a frighteningly beautiful golden color, but were ruined by the purple eye liner he outlined his eyes with.

Finally finding my voice again, I cleared my throat and spoke again. "Sir, a-are you waiting for so-someone?"

"Yes." the man smirked. I didn't like the feeling I got from this man. He scared me. "Sasuke, it's been so long since I last saw you." his smirk widened. Without realizing, I stepped back, wondering whether it would be best to run.

"S…sir, I'm sorry. I don't know who you are." I told him, confused as to why I was so scared of some complete stranger. Itachi had friends who looked weirder than him and yet, I already drew the conclusion to be scared of him.

"Oh, that's right. You wouldn't remember me, but your mother told me so much about you." The man stepped closer.

"My…mom?" I managed to say.

"Yes, Sasuke. Before her suicide, I was trying to help her. But my help, sadly wasn't enough. I was her therapist."

"M-my mom didn't go to a therapist…" I told him, stepping back once more.

"She did. Mikoto would come to my office after she got off from work." the golden eyed man said to me before grabbing my arm and leaning in close. He then whispered, "Sasuke, I know about what Itachi did. I know everything. As I recall, he murdered two people, did he not?" My eyes widened and I tried to jerk out of his grip, but he just held my right arm tighter.

"Sasuke!" Someone called from a distance.

My head snapped in their direction. "De-Deidara!" For the first time in my life, I was actually happy to see the blond cheerfully waving to me. I glanced at the man holding my arm, before calling out to Deidara, "He-hey, I'd like you to meet someone!" The blond began to approach us.

The man lowered his head once more to mine and whispered, "Sasuke, don't think this is over. We'll have another little chat soon." he let go of my arm and quickly walked out of sight. Deidara caught up to me, looking clueless.

"Who'd ya want me to meet?" the blond asked me.

"No one." I paused, looking in the direction that the pale man went before continuing. "So, why are you here, Deidara?"

"Itachi won't be back from work for a while. I decided to see you!"

"Oh. Where's your car?" I raised an eye brow, looking at him in amusement. I didn't want him to figure out that something was up earlier. Whoever that man is, he knew about what Itachi had done in the past and that couldn't mean anything good was going to come out of it.

The blond scratched his head, looking slightly guilty and embarrassed. "I got my license taken away, so I can't drive for a while. I took a taxi."

"You want to hang out for a while?" I asked him. I didn't want to be alone. Not when that 'therapist' was out there, probably watching me.

Deidara's eyes lit up. "Really?! We can?" He took me by the hand excitedly, leading me to my car. "Come on."

T o B e C o n t i n u e d…

P l e a s e R e v i e w.

Iluvitachi93


	3. Golden Eyes

T r u t h

C h a p t e r II

I entered Itachi's and my apartment, letting Deidara come in with me. The blond looked cautiously around, scared that my brother would attack him at any moment. I called out Itachi's name, walking toward the kitchen.

Itachi looked up from the newspaper he had currently been reading. "Sasuke, you're home late. What were you--" the older Uchiha raised an eye brow as he saw Deidara come in with me. Then, with a look of playful disappointment, he shook his head, scolding me. "Sasuke, what did I tell you about bringing strays home with you?"

I smiled apologetically, knowing that Itachi really didn't want Deidara to be here. "Sorry, I couldn't get rid of him."

"You two are mean! What have I ever done to deserve such cruel treatment?!" Deidara fell into the couch right beside Itachi as he spoke in a dramatic tone. My brother pushed him away and I could hear him mutter something unpleasant under his breath.

I was still really freaked out about the golden eyed man earlier, but the sight of Itachi's face calmed me down. Immediately, I sat myself in his lap, giving him a hug. But when I looked up, I saw him frowning at me. I asked, "Itachi, what's with that face?"

"You're…trembling. Is something wrong?"

I froze, trying to keep my expression calm. So I was a little more than freaked out. I faked a smile, shaking my head. "Che, I'm not trembling, Itachi. Nothing's wrong." Itachi didn't look convinced. "Seriously! I'm fine!" I got off of him, angry that I couldn't fool him even the slightest bit..

"You know…we can talk about it. Alone…" Itachi glanced at Deidara as he spoke. "…if there really is something troubling you."

"Gah! I'm fine!" I glared at him before telling him, "I'm going to bed. Have fun with Deidara."

I heard Itachi sigh, knowing he wouldn't get a truthful answer from me. Entering my room, dread and worry began to fill my mind once more. I loved my brother more than life it's self and if anything were to happen to him, I'd never forgive myself. That golden eyed man wanted something. If he was going to turn Itachi in for murder, he would have already done it.

I sat myself on my bed, looking down at my trembling hands. I felt so helpless. That man was out there somewhere…he knew our secret…and he could do something to hurt Itachi.

I jumped at the sound of my door opening. My head jerked in the direction of the sound, finding Itachi standing in the door way. In a more quiet fashion, he closed the door and sat himself down beside me. "Tell me. What's wrong?" His voice was calm like always.

But I didn't speak, staring back at my hands once more before I felt Itachi stroking my hair. "…Itachi, I'm really scared." I heard my voice whisper. There was a long pause and Itachi continued to stroke my hair, waiting patiently for me to continue. "…I….I just feel like something horrible is about to happen."

"Did something happen to you?" He asked me.

"…there was this man." My voice came out in a low, shaky whisper. "He was waiting…for me after school. He said he was Mom's therapist. Itachi…he knows. He knows everything. Everything about Mom…a-and me…Dad and you…"

I felt Itachi tense beside me and he turned my head, looking straight into my eyes as he asked, "Did he tell you his name? What did he look like?"

I shook my head. "He…didn't tell me his name…but he had long black hair…golden eyes…a-and really pale skin…" Itachi's expression remained unchanged, but he pulled me into his embrace.

"Sasuke, I don't want you going near that man again. Alright? If you see him, or if he tries to approach you, call me or Deidara."

"Do you know him. Itachi, do you know the man I described?" I looked up.

He frowned, shaking his head. "No. I…I don't think so. But perhaps…" my brother appeared to be thinking to himself before, "I…I might, but I really doubt it's the man I have in mind." Kissing me softly on the forehead, Itachi pulled away from our embrace. "Try and go to sleep, Sasuke. I'll see you in the morning."

I just nodded, lying down on my bed. But I knew it wouldn't be possible to go to sleep any time soon. Those piercing golden eyes still remained in my mind. Every time I closed my eyes, that man was there…but somehow, those eyes seemed familiar to me. From a long time ago, perhaps…

But my eyes snapped open as I heard Deidara's voice from the living room. I opened my door a crack, curious as to what he and my brother were discussing. And then I heard, "Shh, Deidara, keep your voice down. You might wake Sasuke."

"Sorry, Itachi. But what are we going to do if Orochimaru approaches him again?" Deidara said in a quieter voice, though I could still hear him very clearly.

Itachi sighed, running a hand through his dark hair. "Start from the beginning."

"I was looking for Sasuke because I wasn't sure if he had already left from school yet…but then I saw his car still parked and he was talking to Orochimaru." I froze. They were talking about me. I realized Itachi and Deidara were talking about this afternoon with that man.

Orochimaru? Itachi knew that man?

And what would this man, Orochimaru, do with the information he had on Itachi?

"Are you sure it was Orochimaru? It couldn't have been anyone else? Orochimaru knows he's digging his own grave by stepping foot in our city after what he did last time." Itachi said in a low voice to his friend.

"Positive. Who else in their right mind would wear that much purple eyeliner?" Deidara nodded. I crept closer to the living room, wanting to be able to hear Itachi's voice better. "Anyways, Sasuke seemed pretty shaken by his encounter with Orochimaru. Should we ask him about what that bastard said to him?"

"No. Sasuke told me about what they talked about. But don't tell Sasuke anything about him. I want you to make sure that Orochimaru never makes contact with Sasuke again, understood?" Itachi sat on the couch and I could see my brother put his head in his hands. "We should have killed him when we had the chance."

My eyes widened. What the hell was this all about? Just what had Orochimaru done to Itachi in the past? I was scared now. Scared of what Orochimaru might do to Itachi or me. 'If Itachi died…'

I stopped myself, shaking my head to push the thought out of my mind. 'No, I shouldn't think like that…Itachi won't die. He can't.' I kept listening. "…Sasuke called me over to him when he saw me. Orochimaru didn't want to be discovered I guess, so he got away. That's all that happened, Itachi."

There was this whole other side of Itachi. The side I've only seen twice in my life. Once in the alleyway when I was only seven years old, and again when Dad died.

What was Itachi not telling me?

What could Orochimaru possibly do to us?

After Deidara finished, I went back to my room silently and pulled my bed covers over my head, shutting my eyes tightly.

But all I saw was that man's golden eyes.

T o B e C o n t i n u e d . . .

P l e a s e R e v i e w.

(A/N): Just to clear somethings up, the very 'first' chapter was a preface, so that whole chapter was something that will happen in a future chapter. Does that make any sense? Anyways, I'm sorry about the wait.

iluvitachi93


	4. Second Encounter

T r u t h

C h a p t e r III

_She beckoned for me to come, tears falling down her cheeks as she did. I approached her and she pulled me into her embrace. "M…mom." She never hugged me, let alone touched me after my father's death. "Mom…I'm here. Please don't cry."_

_She didn't say a word, sobbing into my shoulder. I hugged her tighter, hoping she'd be able to go back to her normal self soon. I hated the empty, helpless look she wore each day after Dad's death and since Itachi left. She looked a lot thinner and I came to the conclusion that she didn't eat much anymore. I wouldn't know for sure. She never ate with me at dinner. I'd sit alone on the couch eating cupped miso ramen, watching reruns of television shows._

_Then finally, I heard her voice. It came out in a shaky whisper as she told me, "Y…your hair…I-it's so long now…" I felt her fingers entwined with my raven locks. "Y-you look just like your brother…"_

_I didn't know what to say to that, but soon found that I didn't need to say anything. She grabbed me by the hair, tugging me down onto the cold tile kitchen floor before pulling a knife out of the drawer above us. And then I heard her say with so much hatred and disgust in her voice, "Cut it off."_

_That night, along with a painful haircut, my mom beat me until I was unconscious._

_I didn't go to school the next day._

My eyes snapped open. A dream? No. A memory from my past. The past I've never completely escaped from. Every now and then, I was reminded of my past in dreams. Realizing the tears that were streaming down my face, I sat up in bed, wiping them away before I heard a calm, comforting voice.

"Sasuke, what is it?" Itachi asked me, sitting up beside me and combing his fingers through my hair.

"…s-she wo…she won't leave me alone, Itachi." I told him, my voice barely a whisper. "I can't get her eyes out of my mind…"

My mom's eyes…the ones that stared up at me after she killed herself.

Without realizing it, I started crying again and Itachi pulled me into a hug, whispering comforting words in my ear. "I…I ha-hate it, Itachi…" I muttered into his shoulder. "…w-why w-won't Mom leave me a-alone already?!" Neither of us said anything for a while, but Itachi still held me in his arms until I calmed down. My eyes wandering to the clock at our bedside, finding red digital numbers blinking '7:25' at me. My eyes widened and I pulled out of Itachi's embrace. "Itachi, I'm going to be late!"

Class would start in five minutes.

Pulling my clothes on quickly, I stood in front of the mirror, glaring back at the reflection that was me. My eyes were red from crying. I growled, knowing I couldn't do anything about it now since I had to leave.

"Bye Itachi!" I called, about to leave the apartment when Itachi snaked his hands around my waist.

"Hey. What's your rush?" Itachi smirked at me as he said this. "First of all, it's Saturday, and second, you have a whole week off for spring break."

"Wh…oh." I said in relief, relaxing in his arms. "Itachi, why didn't you tell me?" I hit his chest weakly before glaring at him, very displeased in how I woke up that morning.  
"I thought you'd figure it out eventually. And now you have." Itachi said, kissing me lightly on the forehead. "What would you like for breakfast?"

And that was how my day started.

The rest of the day seemed very relaxing to me. Itachi let me sit around the whole time, watching movies and reading books. But when he had to make an errand, Itachi called Deidara to come over. I found it weird that Itachi actually asked Deidara to come over for once, but paid no mind to it. Soon becoming very bored of everything in the apartment, I told the blond man that I was going out for a walk.

Deidara insisted on coming with me.

Slamming the bedroom door in his face, I fell into Itachi's and my bed, feeling very much like a prisoner in my own home. I wanted out of this place, but no one would let me go alone.

Reaching for the phone, I called my best friend.

Yeah, I have friends now. Well…one in particular. Naruto Uzumaki. Once I got past the complete idiot that he seemed to be, I realized it wasn't that unbearable to be around him. He was short, with blue eyes, blond hair and a really loud voice. I used to hate him, unable to make it past the mask he put up for others to see. But I realized he had a pretty tough childhood. I started getting to know him when Kakashi invited me to his house. Kakashi is his foster father. But before Kakashi, Naruto had been abused pretty badly, to the point that his drunken dad had carved some kind of design onto the blond's stomach.

Anyways, as the phone rang, I heard Deidara humming to himself from the kitchen, apparently making himself something to eat. And then I heard, "Hello?"

"Kakashi?" I frowned, expecting to hear my friend's voice.

"Sasuke, you want to speak to Naruto?"

"Yeah, that'd be great." I told him before hearing the blond's voice over the phone.

"Sasuke! You never call me! What's up?" Naruto asked me, sounding really excited.

"Uh, you want to hang out right now?"

"Sure!" I could almost hear him grin…if that's even possible.

"Alright, meet me outside my apartment." I told him before hanging up. As quietly as I could, I stood on the bed, opening the navy blue curtains before silently sliding the window open. I removed the screen from the window, placing it beside the bed before standing on the window sill. I saw the blond boy approaching so I quickly hopped down into the grass.

"SA-!" I motioned for him to keep quiet before running up to him.

Taking his wrist, I muttered, "Come on." And we escaped from the overprotective blond man that was probably sitting in my living room, eating.

We ended up outside a small café, drinking coffee. "…y'know, there was this guy asking for you yesterday. Did he find you?"

I froze. "Y…yeah, he did. What did he say to you?" I asked Naruto.

The blond shrugged. "He just wanted to know where he could find you. I told him where your car was. That's all. He acted like he knew you. Am I wrong?"

"Yeah…you are. I had no idea who that man was. He…kind of freaked me out." I ran a hand though my hair. "Don't…don't tell people who I am or where I am if you don't know them, okay Naruto?"

The blond bit his lip. "He didn't…try to do anything to you, did he?"

"What? No! Of course not. I just…that man was clearly out of his mind. I don't want some creep coming to my house one day." I told him, forcing a laugh. It wasn't a joke though. If Orochimaru knew where I lived…where Itachi lived, there was more of a chance that he could do something to my brother.

"Oh. Okay." Naruto nodded before getting up. "Wait here. I have to use the bathroom." The blue eyed blond left, leaving me alone at our table. Looking around, I saw couples walking around hand in hand and kids running around, laughing. Watching those kids made me remember a time where I thought nothing could go wrong.

_We used to play together, even with our six year age gap. I felt Itachi lift me in the air, spinning me around in our backyard. I laughed and commanded him to do it again. Tired, I lied in the grass beside my older brother and I heard him whisper to me, "Sasuke…what that man did to you…I promise I'll never let you get hurt. I'll always be there for you, no matter what."_

_"Itachi…I think…I think I remember something from that day in the alleyway." I turned over, facing Itachi. "I…was walking near that alley…a-and that man came up behind me. I felt him behind him…I,I turned but I don't remember anything after seeing the man's eyes." I frowned, trying to think back. "I can't get his eyes out of my mind. T-they keep staring at me…"_

My eyes widened as something caught my eye. Golden eyes looking straight at me. Orochimaru.

I stood up, moving toward the café door when Naruto came outside, cell phone in hand.

"Sasuke, I've got to go. Kakashi's gonna be pissed if I'm out too long." the shorter boy told me, a disappointed look clearly expressed on his face. "Well, see ya." Naruto waved, running toward his house.

"N-Naruto, wait!" I called out, but the idiot couldn't hear me. Then I turned, realizing that Orochimaru had vanished. My heart was pounding fast, but I was relieved that the man was gone at least for now.

Walking home, my cell phone rang. Answering it with, "Hey, Itachi." I got scolded by my brother.

"Sasuke, why'd you sneak out of the house? I told Deidara to come over because--"

"Yeah, I know. You don't want that man to suddenly appear at our place while you're not there--"

"Exactly. And I'm sorry if it seemed like a prison to you, but I just want you to be safe…" Suddenly, I felt someone grab me by the hair, yanking me back into a wall. I winced, accidentally dropping my cell phone in the process.

"Ngh!" I looked up to find the same pair of golden eyes looking down at me as they had before at the café. My heart nearly stopped as I realized who it was. "Orochimaru…wh-what do you want now?" I tried to keep my voice steady.

The man smirked at me. "Good afternoon, Sasuke. You're just the person I wanted to talk to."

T o B e C o n t i n u e d...

P l e a s e R e v i e w.

iluvitachi93


	5. In His Arms

T r u t h

C h a p t e r IV

In the darkness of our room, I lay awake, unable to close my eyes without seeing his sickly pale skin, his stringy long black hair, or his frightening gold eyes in my mind. I was disgusted, even thinking of his long spider-like fingers touching my body. The events from earlier today stayed clear in my head.

_"Ngh!" I looked up to find the same pair of golden eyes looking down at me as they had before at the café. My heart nearly stopped as I realized who it was. "Orochimaru…wh-what do you want now?" I tried to keep my voice steady._

_The man smirked at me. "Good afternoon, Sasuke. You're just the person I wanted to talk to."_

_"Wh…what do you want with me?" I said through gritted teeth to keep from yelling in pain. I hated the look Orochimaru gave me. It was dangerous…and somehow perverted. He scanned my body, lust clearly in his golden eyes. It was disgusting. "…t…answer me."_

_"Sasuke," he whispered into my ear, his voice dripping with the same lust I saw in his eyes. "…tell me, where does your brother work?"_

_"I…I'm not telling you." I growled, squirming in his grip._

_"Do you know of an organization by the name of Akatsuki?" He asked me, his voice now light with amusement._

Slowly in the dim room, only lit by the bright moon shining outside our partly opened window curtains, I reached for Itachi's hand. The silence had me very aware of my surroundings. Every small sound, the tapping of a branch on our window as the wind blew, the almost non-existent creek of the bed as I shifted, everything was heavily enhanced in sound.

As I entwined my fingers with his, Itachi's grip on my hand tightened and I saw his eyes open, even within the darkness. The look he gave me was comforting. Only with him, could I be safe.

But what bothered me was Orochimaru's words. There were things…things I still didn't know about Itachi. And I was too hesitant to ask, afraid I wouldn't like what I'd discover.

_I stayed silent. The answer to this question was an absolute 'no, I have no idea what the hell Akatsuki is.' I heard Orochimaru chuckle and tell me, "Why don't you ask your brother. I'm sure he'll gladly give you an answer."_

_The pale man pressed himself to me and I could feel him breathing on my neck. "Also, please ask Itachi how he knows me…" he said before licking my collar bone. "I bet you've been wondering."_

_"Y-you're…you're sick." I whispered, fear clearly in my voice. But he ignored me, grabbing a fist full of my hair and yanking my head back, giving himself better access to my body. "…stop…stop it." I muttered, my eyes wide in terrified shock. "…STOP IT!" I finally screamed, but he just covered my mouth._

_"Shh…" he crooned in my ear. "…you have no idea what Itachi's capable of. I swear, he's got a heart of stone, Sasuke. I'm sure…one day, you'll come to realize this…" Orochimaru began to undo the buttons on my shirt. I jerked around, trying to resist, but his grip did not falter._

_BANG._

_A loud shot was fired and Orochimaru stumbled back, gripping his arm which was now stained with his own crimson blood. But his golden eyes remained amused and his mouth curved into a sickening smile. "Itachi…wow, I'm so lucky, finding both of you this afternoon."_

_Itachi stood, his dark eyes calm, but at the same time just as dangerous as Orochimaru's. "Get the fuck away from him." My brother said in a deadly tone. "If you touch him…"_

_"Oh, like this?" Orochimaru's smirk widened as he grabbed my arm, pulling me close before he forced his lips on to mine. There was no way Itachi could have made a shot without killing me first. And then I heard it. A sickening snap. Before I realized what I had done, Orochimaru's arm hung uselessly to his side. The man swore but couldn't do anything before someone else appeared from within the darkness of the alley._

_I couldn't see this other person, but heard his voice hiss angrily in my ear, "I swear to God, you'll wish you were dead before we're finished with you." before he shoved me into the brick wall, pulling me away from the pale injured man in front of me. Then, before Itachi and I could do, see, or say anything, the figure and Orochimaru disappeared into the alleyway._

_Itachi rushed over to me and I could hear him whisper, "Fuck, Sasuke, don't ever scare me like that again." before pulling me into a hug._

_"I…I'm sorry, Itachi. I'm…so, so sorry." I put my arms around him, hugging him tightly._

The tears came down my pale cheeks silently as I pulled myself closer into my brother's embrace. I heard his low, silky voice in my ear soothingly tell me, "I'm here, Sasuke." Itachi's fingers gently combed through my raven spikes, calming down even further. "I'm right here. I won't let him harm you. Please…try and get some rest. I will not leave you."

"I…thought he was going to…I didn't think you'd…come." I whispered, my voice clearly full of fear. "Why…why is it always us, Itachi? Why do these things always end up happening to us?"

"I…I don't know." I heard him say quietly before he sat me up, brushing stray strands of hair from my eyes. He wiped my tears away before leaning in, softly kissing my lips. But as he was about to pull away, I gripped him by the shoulders, quickly deepening the kiss.

Briefly breaking the kiss, he pulled me down, shifting himself so I was underneath him before pressing his mouth to my neck. When his lips made contact with my throat, they barely grazed my pale skin, making me grow anxious.

Out of desperation, I yanked his shirt open, accidentally ripping some of the buttons off of his shirt completely. His expression stayed calm, but I could tell he was slightly surprised by my actions. My hands ran down his smooth torso and I sat up slightly to gain access to his body.

But I saw him frown, displeased with this situation, before he pushed me back down, his lips finding their way back to my mouth once more. I felt Itachi's tongue enter my mouth and I let out a muffled moan as I tugged his shirt off of his shoulders.

Pressing himself to me, the kiss deepened once more. One of his hands found mine, entwining our fingers together. Finding this as an opportunity, my free hand found its way to the elastic of his boxers. About to pull the article of clothing down, I felt his fingers around my wrist, preventing me from continuing.

I looked up, meeting his serious gaze and I could tell he was hesitant to go any further with me. "Sasuke, we've discussed this. And before I am your brother or even a lover, I am first and foremost your guardian. Until your eighteenth birthday, this relationship cannot go any further." His voice was stern and I knew I wouldn't win this.

Sighing in disappointment, I straightened my clothes out, lying back down in the disheveled sheets on our bed. I turned away from him, facing the wall of our bedroom. I didn't speak, nor did I move for the longest time. Eventually, Itachi assumed that I was sound asleep.

And that was when he whispered, "…you have no idea how…difficult it is, Sasuke," I felt him stroke my arm, gently enough that it wouldn't 'wake me up'. "…to resist your tempting body. But…you deserve much better than me." It killed me inside, hearing his words. "…you deserve someone who can take you away from the horrible things I've made you endure."

I bit my lip to keep from whimpering as silent tears began to leak from my eyes once more. But this time, I wasn't crying in fear, but in sadness. All thoughts of Orochimaru vanished for the moment. "Sasuke…if…I could leave you, I would…because I can tell every time you look at me, you're still affected by the deaths you've witnessed in the past. And it's all my fault. But I won't leave you. I can't." Itachi gave a quiet bitter laugh. "I'm too selfish to stay away from you."

I waited for him to speak again, but he didn't. And then I waited a bit longer before shifting toward him inconspicuously in our bed. Itachi ran his hand through my hair and my eyes flickered open as I pretended to wake up from my 'sleep'. "…'tachi." I muttered sleepily.

"I'm sorry. Did I wake you?" He asked, his voice changed back to his irresistible silky voice.

I gave a small nod before burying my face in his chest. Slowly, his arms encircled my body as he embraced me. I felt him kiss the top of my head and my dark eyes gradually closed once more.

Finally, I whispered, "I love you." not entirely sure whether he heard me before drifting off into a dreamless sleep in the arms of Itachi.

T o B e C o n t i n u e d…

P l e a s e R e v i e w.

iluvitachi93


	6. An Unrequited Love

T r u t h

C h a p t e r V

Itachi kept me close for months.

Still nothing.

It was almost a year, but there was no trace of Orochimaru. And then winter began.

White flakes of snow littered the skies and roads. A sheet of ice replaced a near by lake. I was seventeen years old by now and Itachi was twenty-three.

Nothing really changed with the passing months. With every day that went by, I became more and more confident that Orochimaru had given up. But I wasn't stupid enough to forget him all together. After all, he did know our secrets. He did know where to find me. And he could kill me or my beloved older brother at any time.

Itachi kept me close as much as possible. I didn't complain or protest to this. I loved being with him, but in the back of my mind, I still remembered his words.

'…if…I could leave you, I would'

'…it's all my fault.'

'I'm too selfish to stay away from you.'

Itachi was hurting, but I couldn't do a thing about it. I couldn't just go up to him and tell him I heard every word he told me that night. Words I wasn't suppose to hear from him. I wanted to tell him he was wrong. That it wasn't his fault and everything would work out in the end.

I rushed out of the front door, briefly kissing my brother goodbye before getting in my car to leave for school. Surprisingly, I arrived somewhat early, giving me time to drop my things off in my locker. Making my way down the hall lined with hundreds of light blue metal lockers, I caught sight of my blue eyed blond haired friend.

Naruto's eyes widened when he realized I was looking at him and he turned away, quickly walking in the opposite direction. Lately, Naruto had been acting oddly, avoiding me and barely calling me anymore.

A few days before, I tried asking Kakashi about it, but the silver haired teacher figured it was just a phase. 'Phase' my ass. Something was up with Naruto and I was going to find out soon enough.

Rolling my eyes, I continued toward my locker and put my things away.

My first period class was Art with Deidara. Yes, I was surprised too when the blond idiot of a man told me this news, but somehow, he was able to weasel his way into the teaching position of Art. I supposed it was just another way Itachi could keep an eye on me.

That day, I sat myself next to Naruto, hoping to figure out what was wrong. "Hi, Naruto." I smiled, trying to act as close to normal as possible.

Naruto jumped at the sound of my voice and turned slightly, facing me. He muttered a small 'Hello' before looking back down at his desk. I hid my irritation, attempting to make conversation. "So…what have you been up to lately?" I asked, keeping my voice light and friendly.

"…not much. What about you?" He asked, his voice still quiet. Naruto clearly did not want to speak to me, but I didn't give him a chance. I was determined to find out what was going on with him.

"Absolutely nothing, thanks to a friend who wont return my calls or hang out with me anymore." I told him, my voice hinting annoyance as I spoke. "What's going on, Naruto?"

"…wh-what are you talking about?" He asked me, avoiding my eyes completely.

"Don't fuck with me, Naruto. You know exactly what I'm talking about." I said, unable to hide the anger in my voice.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke." He said, guilt clearly in his tone as he spoke. He really meant it. "…there's just been a lot on my mind lately. I…I didn't mean to make you mad."

My eyes softened. "Of all people, why won't you talk to me about it, Naruto? I thought we were fri-"

"We are!" He said, looking straight at me this time. Naruto's cheeks turned a light shade of pink.

"Uzumaki, shut up! I'm trying to teach!" Deidara snapped from the front of the class. We looked up at our teacher, realizing class had been in session for a while.

I watched as Naruto's face turned bright red and he mumbled a small apology to our Art teacher.

Second and third period went by quickly. Finally, I headed to the cafeteria for lunch. There, I saw my blond friend sitting awkwardly by himself, deep in thought. Sitting in front of him, I greeted him with, "Hello, Naruto. What's up?"

Naruto shot up at the sight of me, his blue eyes wide as he muttered what I supposed was an excuse and quickly walked away from me. Growling, I followed him, catching the blond near the boys bathroom when I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" I hissed at him, shoving him back. His face clearly expressing his shock at my sudden actions.

"What the--Sa-Sasuke!?" I heard him yell in surprise as I pinned him to the wall.

"Naruto, you're my best friend!" I yelled angrily. "Did I do something to make you angry or something?! It's been pissing the hell out of me that you've been avoiding me! Now just tell me what's--" Naruto leaned in, pressing his lips to mine.

It took me a moment to comprehend everything that was happening. But soon my eyes widened in shock and I jerked away, releasing my hold on him. "What are you--"

"…I love you." I heard him say in barely a whisper.

I stepped back in surprised. "W…what?" I couldn't believe it.

Naruto looked up at me in panic and began apologizing. "I…Sasuke, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ever tell you how I felt! I…I thought I'd eventually get over it, but I couldn't and I'm really sorry for that. I just…"

"It's alright, Naruto." I told him, running a hand through my raven locks. "But, Naruto…" I said, my voice and eyes softened. "…we can never be together."

He just nodded, about to walk away when I grabbed his wrist. "Wait. Naruto…we can still be friends." I knew my words wouldn't cheer him up at all, but I what could I seriously tell him? I didn't want to loose him because I loved him, only not in the way he wanted me to. The blond just looked at me as tears threatened to fall out of his ocean blue eyes. "Please." I pleaded.

"Yeah…okay." he told me weakly, his voice cracking slightly. I smiled in relief, pulling him closer before brushing his tears away.

"Thank you." I muttered quietly before leading him to our fourth period class.

My mind was still occupied by Naruto's words even as class began. I saw the blond sitting in front of me, still recovering from my reply of 'we can still be friends'. Those words, as cliché as they sounded, must have hurt like hell coming from me. I felt so guilty for causing my friend so much pain, but there was only one person I could ever truly love. And it wasn't Naruto.

I wondered if I could have said something different. Something…less hurtful. But nothing came to mind. My thoughts were interrupted when my teacher called our attention to the front of the classroom.

"Class, we have a new student." My teacher spoke, though her voice didn't have much enthusiasm in it. I looked up, slightly curious by this announcement.

A boy with glasses and silver hair pulled up into a ponytail smiled politely to the rest of our class. "Hello, my name is Kabuto. It's nice to meet you all."

T o B e C o n t i n u e d…

P l e a s e R e v i e w.

Geez, this chapter took so long for me to get right. And just a warning, people might hate me for my next chapter. It might be a bit…shocking, perhaps. Please don't hate me!!

iluvitachi93


	7. Nightmare

T r u t h

C h a p t e r VI

The new student, Kabuto, seemed nice enough. Everyone was drawn to his kindness and he quickly made friends with every girl and boy in our grade. Naruto was especially drawn to the silver haired boy's compassion and urged me to also become friends him.

But it annoyed me, how sickly nice he was to everyone. Didn't he ever get tired of it? The endless fake smiles, the overly enthusiastic voice, just watching him irritated me.

Kabuto seemed to notice this from me and paid specific attention to me for whatever reason. I assumed he didn't like the feeling of 'being hated', though I didn't 'hate' him exactly. I just wasn't in love with him like everyone else.

Kabuto regularly came up to me, greeting me in a friendly manner. My only reply was a, 'Hn', a common response by us Uchiha brothers.

And so the week went on and I never had a minute alone at school. Kabuto hung around me and Naruto a lot. The blond was satisfied when I finally gave up trying to avoid the annoying silver haired boy. But I could see in Naruto's eyes that he never healed even slightly from my rejection.

I tried to ignore it, hoping he'd eventually move on. Hoping my Naruto would soon come back to me. Hoping that the happiness would finally return to his eyes.

"Good morning, Sasuke!" Kabuto greeted me cheerfully, taking a seat beside me as I sat in our Art classroom, waiting for Deidara's arrival. Coincidentally, the silver haired boy had all the same classes as I did, save for Language Arts. Kakashi's class became my one haven. The one class Naruto and I had alone without that irritating Kabuto always contributing to our conversations.

Anyways, he sat beside me, a bright smile on his lips. Fake, I guessed. I forced myself to reply with, "Morning." Before I went back to staring at my desk.

"Sasuke, I was wondering if you'd like to accompany me to a movie, perhaps this weekend." Kabuto asked politely.

I shook my head. "No, I'm busy this weekend. I have…plans with my Aniki." It wasn't a lie. I really did expect to spend the weekend with Itachi. I smiled at the memory of waking in my brother's arms that morning, as I did most every morning. I never got bored of my beloved brother's presence and he always surprised me, doing things I'd never expect.

"Oh, that's too bad. Maybe Naruto would like to go." Kabuto mused.

"What about me?" Naruto asked, joining us at our desks. The silver haired boy sat between us which seemed to dissatisfy my blond friend, but didn't make an issue of it.

"Would you like to see a movie with me this weekend?" he repeated the question to Naruto. I expected the blue eyed blond to accept immediately, but to my surprise, he shook his head.

"Sorry, I have plans with Sasuke this weekend!" Naruto looked hopeful, a slight excitement returning to his eyes.

But Kabuto frowned. "Sasuke just told me he had plans with his older brother." And then the excitement vanished from those bright blue eyes. I felt my heart drop as I saw his disappointed face.  
At that moment, I hit my head, faking a 'duh' expression, before saying, "Shit! I forgot, Naruto. You're coming over Saturday. Right?"

The blond smiled again and nodded. Kabuto looked from Naruto to me and I could have sworn I saw amusement in those gray eyes behind his glasses. But the silver haired boy gave in, accepting the fact that we were both unable to accompany him to a movie that weekend.

Third period soon came around. Language Arts with Kakashi. Our teacher was late for the millionth time, giving me and Naruto a chance to talk alone. Naruto was the first to speak.

"S…so, Sasuke, are you really doing something with Itachi this weekend?" the blond seemed slightly nervous. I shrugged, looking up at him.

"I'm free Saturday if you'd like to hang out, Naruto." I gave a half smile and I could see his cheeks turn a light shade of pink.

"Yeah!" he grinned, obviously excited by this idea. "We could go to that carnival that's coming this weekend!" But there was still something in his eyes…a sort of hollowness inside those large blue orbs. He looked almost…pained, smiling so brightly. And suddenly I frowned as a tear fell from his eyes.

Without thinking, I brushed it away, only making his blush even more distinct. "Sorry." I muttered, turning away.

The blond gave an embarrassed laugh. "Gah…I think something's in my eye." he told me before our teacher finally decided to show himself.

Lunch soon followed third period and I sat myself across from Naruto after buying something to eat. Like usual, my blond friend brought cupped ramen while I ate a small salad. We were soon interrupted by Kabuto as he greeted us happily.

I just nodded as he sat beside me. The silver haired boy kept talking. "You two must be really close. How long have you and Sasuke been friends, Naruto?"

"…almost two and a half years, I think." the blond answered before inhaling the rest of his ramen.

"Hm." Kabuto said, his eyes full of curiosity. "Say…are you two…going out, perhaps?" he was looking straight at me this time.

Naruto was also staring at me, his blue eyes almost fearful. "…why do you ask, Kabuto?" I asked slowly.

"I'm just wondering. I'm sorry if my question offended you." he quickly apologized.

"No, you haven't offended us. And no, we are not going out." I refrained from looking at my blond friend, afraid of how he'd react to this.

"Really?" Kabuto raised an eyebrow, apparently very surprised by this. "I'm shocked Naruto hasn't fallen for someone as…attractive as you, Sasuke." the silver haired boy raised a hand to my cheek, but I made no response, my eyes emotionless.

"Don't touch him." I heard a voice hiss and I turned to Naruto, realizing he had been the one who said it. His face clearly expressed his anger, but he wasn't glaring at me, but at Kabuto. I saw his blue eyes widen as he realized what he had done. Glancing at me, embarrassed, Naruto quickly apologized before leaving our table.

"Naruto!" I stood up, about to go after him.

Kabuto looked almost as surprised as I did. "Sasuke, I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to cause any trouble between you two." He told me.

"Don't worry about it." I muttered.

"I'm going to go to class a little early. See you there." he gave a friendly smile and waved, walking away from me. Sinking back into my seat, I put my head in my hands, giving a tired sigh.

_I'm sorry, Naruto._

Eventually, I left the lunch room to get my math book from my locker.

I approached the locker, in time to hear a girl scream out, "Someone call an ambulance!!" I walked more quickly toward my locker which was now surrounded by a group of kids. Then I saw it. Not 'it'. Him. There were bloodstains all down my locker and the surrounding lockers. I looked in horror as I saw a leg hanging limply out of my partially closed locker.

My hands shook, just seeing the blood which reminded me of my mom. Pushing through the forming crowd, I stood in front of my locker. I opened it further which was a mistake because a full body fell out of the locker and on to me. I fell to the ground and everyone around me scooted back further, some girls screaming even louder.

And then I saw them.

Eyes that had normally been bright and full emotion were now dull and blank. I pushed the corpse off of me, yelling in shock, surprise, and horror. His blond hair was stained with his own blood. My eyes were wide and I could hardly believe what I was seeing.

"No…NO! Naruto!" I grabbed the boy by his shoulders, shaking him. "W…wake up!!" I yelled in frustration. I cried into Naruto's chest. "Wake up! D-don't leave me…not like her." I couldn't hear the crowd of students any longer.

It was just me and Naruto. I cradled his body in my arms, sobbing.

"WAKE UP, YOU MORON! DON'T LEAVE ME!!" I screamed. "Itachi said…he said everything would be okay! Now wake up!"

Someone tried pulling me away, but I jerked out of their grip. I recognized them to be Maito Gai, my fitness teacher. "Get the fuck off of me!" I hissed at him through my tears. I could barely see anything anymore as I cried.

"Sasuke, let him go." Another voice told me. I looked up to find Kakashi kneeling beside me and Naruto, trying to mask his alarm.

"I…I can't." I muttered quietly. "I can't, Kakashi. He's my best friend."

"I know." Kakashi wore a solemn expression on his face. The silver haired man shut my blond friend's eye lids and told me, "Sasuke, there's nothing we can do for him now."

I stared down at Naruto's bloodied body, biting my lip to keep from making a sound. "Naruto…" I brushed his bloodstained hair out of his eyes before pressing my lips to his forehead. And then everything went black.

T o B e C o n t i n u e d…

P l e a s e R e v i e w.

Do you hate me yet?  
By the way, I did realize that Kabuto was actually older than I made him to be in this fic, but in order to make this story work, I decided it would somehow work out…

iluvitachi93


	8. His Secret

T r u t h

C h a p t e r VII

My eyes snapped open and I found myself lying in the health room.

I was told everyone had been sent home early.

Naruto's body was already gone and Caution tape was lined around several lockers including mine.

I was still waiting for myself to wake up from this nightmare I was trapped in.

Too shocked to speak, or even think clearly, I drove myself home, ignoring the teachers' worried looks and remarks. The road was a blur and my hands were shaking uncontrollably, but I managed to find my way home safely.

Entering the apartment, Itachi approached me, his eyes expressing both sadness and relief. "Sasuke…I called the school after I heard the news about that student that was murdered. I…I thought it might be you. Are you alright? Who…was it?" My brother asked, seeing my dark eyes widening.

Tears spilled from my eyes again once more that day. "N…Naruto is dead. Naruto's dead." I muttered just before Itachi embraced me in his arms. I continued to cry as the memory of my best friend…the image of his bloodied corpse wouldn't leave my mind. Itachi held me tightly, kissing me softly while stroking my hair with his long gentle fingers. "He…he's dead." I heard myself whisper over and over.

_Why is it, that everyone around me…everyone I've ever loved, dies? Everyone…except Itachi._

_He's always there. He'll always be there for me._

Slowly, my brother lifted me into his arms, carrying me into our bedroom in silence. Lying me on our bed, Itachi carefully removed my shirt and pulled the bed covers over my trembling body. My tears still fell quietly down my face as my brother sat beside me, caressing my arm.

I felt his soft lips graze my collar bone as my fingers entwined with his. My grip on his hand tightened as I spoke once more. "His body…wasn't warm anym-more. H-his eyes weren't…they weren't like Naruto's."

I turned my head, facing him once more. "M…make it stop…" I said to him before giving a bitter laugh. "Y-you'd think I was used to seeing d-dead bo…bodies by n-now…huh, Itachi?"

"Sasuke, I promise…"I heard my older brother whisper as I stared into his mesmerizing black eyes. "I promise that someday everything will be better for you."

_Yes…he'll always be there…_

Naruto was cremated.

I was glad. I wouldn't be forced to look upon my best friend's injured body. Injuries that could never fully vanish from the boy's tanned skin.

It didn't make any sense to me. I couldn't understand why someone as cheerful as Naruto would deserve such a death. He had been through so much in his life already. All the things his father did to him in the past…

I stood at the edge of the frozen lake. The lake where I first met Naruto. I met him the summer after my mother's suicide. Now that my blond friend was dead, everything seemed so distant. A far away memory that only brought pain.

The day I met him, I was exploring the neighborhood around Itachi's apartment and came across this lake. In it, I found an idiotic blue eyed blond flailing about in the water, screaming that he was drowning. It was then that I learned that Naruto could not swim. With no one else around to save the moron, I had no choice but to jump in after him. Pulling off my shoes and socks, I dived into the lake and swam toward Naruto. I was surprised by how deep the lake really was, but paid no attention as I swam back, the blond in my arms. I remember yelling at him, telling him how much of an idiot he was to be out alone in a situation like that.

Later, I realized he lived with Kakashi, giving me no choice but to put up with his annoying remarks every time I visited my silver haired sensei. But one day, I was stunned to find out the drastic difference between the Naruto everyone else saw and the Naruto I began to see.

We became best friends.

But that all seemed so far away. Now that Naruto was dead, I was afraid I'd forget what he looked like one day. And if I forgot, who'd be there to remember him the way I knew him?

"Sasuke…" I jerked around to find Kabuto standing behind me, smiling politely. "…what on Earth are you doing here in this weather?"

"Kabuto," I frowned. "I could ask you the same question. How did you find me?"

"Oh, I saw you walk in this direction and became curious." the silver haired boy explained, still smiling. "I know you're still upset about Naruto's death, but I'm sure he wanted you to be happy and move on."

"What the hell do you know?" I snapped, becoming slightly angered by him. I couldn't believe I was hearing this from Kabuto of all people. Kabuto, the sickly sweet and happy student who seemed to like Naruto. "You didn't know him. Not like I did, Kabuto. And stop fucking smiling! It's pissing me off."

"Why, Sasuke, I didn't mean to offend you. I'm just trying to be a friend." Kabuto replied to me in a soft voice.

"Well stop. I don't need any friends. Go home." I said in a harsh tone. "Just leave me alone." I heard Kabuto begin to chuckle and I spun around, glaring at the silver haired boy. "What the fuck are you laughing at?!"

"Sasuke," he leaned in, whispering in my ear, "I have a secret. And I'm going to tell it to you. That's what friends do, right?"

"I told you I don't want you to be my friend!" I hissed at him, trying to back away from him.

"Shh, shh, shh." he said in an almost soothing voice which seemed to irritate me further. "It's alright, I'm sure you'll be interested in what I have to say, whether we're friends or not." Kabuto put a hand on my shoulder as he continued to whisper. "I killed him." I heard him begin to snicker to himself.

My eyes were wide as I heard these words. But soon my anger took over and I swung my arm around, punching Kabuto in the face. "Go to hell." I growled through the tears threatening to fall before I grabbed his collar, punching him repeatedly. Blood dripped down the silver haired boy's chin and he gave a sick disturbingly amused smile.

"And do you know why I killed him?" Kabuto licked his lips as the blood did not cease to fall. I pushed him to the ground, straddling his body as I continued to punch him blindly through the tears that streamed down my face. The boy under me struggled to get up, but I held him down. "I killed him because of you." I froze at those words.

"W…what?" I whispered in horror.

"That's right. I killed him because I was jealous of what he had." Kabuto smirked and I knew he was just fucking with me. "Would you like to know how he died, Sasuke?" the murderer below me gave a large grin. The tears still did not stop and I punched him again. Hard. But somehow, this did not effect Kabuto in the slightest. "You see, I found the poor little blond crying his eyes out in the boys' bathroom…"

"…shut up." I whispered angrily.

"I locked the bathroom door behind us in order to keep the teachers from hearing your blond friend's screams." Kabuto seemed pleased to see my outraged expression. "Naruto yelled at me when he saw me standing there. He said I should stay away from you. He began threatening me and I stabbed him in the stomach first. He tried to fight me and I stabbed him again and again. He started screaming your name, hoping you'd hear him…"

"SHUT UP!!" I screamed, but it only seemed to satisfy Kabuto even more.

"…but you obviously didn't. I wish you could have been there to see it all. It was really quite beautiful…so much of your little friend's blood was all over the bathroom stalls and floor. Almost a work of art."

Without noticing, my grip on Kabuto suddenly loosened as I pictured Naruto suffering. Suffering because of me…and knowing that I'd never love him back.

"…he was still alive when I was through with him, but he was too weak to try and fight me off. I dragged him to your locker without the teachers' notice. They were all at lunch with the rest of the students. I forced your locker open and shoved Naruto's body inside. At first, I wasn't quite sure whether he'd fit or not, but breaking some of his bones helped a bit." Kabuto continued to smile as his eyes gazed at something behind me. "There's someone here to see you, Sasuke."

Feeling a presence, I turned around only to find golden eyes staring at me. Orochimaru…

The golden eyed man smirked, amused and disturbingly pleased with seeing the fear in my eyes. "Sasuke, it's so good to see you again. I see you've met my assistant, Kabuto." Orochimaru's grin widened.

I fell back in surprise and Kabuto got up, grabbing me by my own collar and forced me to my feet. "And as I left him there to bleed to death, I heard him muttering your name, Sasuke. Does that make you happy? Knowing you were loved so dearly by your dead little friend?" The silver haired boy shoved me back and I fell, forgetting the fact that there was an icy lake behind me.

I felt my body hit the water, breaking a thin sheet of ice in the process. I was sinking further. I couldn't breath, looking wide eyed up at the disappearing sky. Feeling the freezing water against my skin, my body was numb and I couldn't even make an attempt to reach the surface. I reached out slowly towards the light that was the sun above the water.

The sky seen above the water was dimming. I could barely see anything now, knowing I was plummeting further toward the bottom of the ice covered lake that would soon be my grave.

I knew I wouldn't be able to last much longer and I felt my eyes closing slowly. So this is how I'll die, huh? I thought to myself. Ever since Itachi became my guardian, I no longer thought I'd die from a blow to the head from my mother or father. I no longer thought I'd be targeted in an alley way and get raped as I had as a little kid. I no longer thought I'd die alone.

But here I was on the brink of death, descending lower to the dark depths of the lake. And where was Itachi? Where was he now to save me?

Would I really die alone?

I was suffocating.

My lungs burned, longing for air, but there was none. I suddenly jerked around, my eyes shooting open. I needed air. My arms flailed toward the surface, but I was too far down.

I felt my heart pounding loudly and I couldn't feel the water any longer. My whole body was numb and yet, I was still alive. Somehow. But I was dying slowly and I knew it.

The dim light from above that was shining through the clear water was hidden by a dark shadow that I could faintly see moving from the land above me. Orochimaru and Kabuto…they…they were working together?

_Itachi…please…_

_Save me._

T o B e C o n t i n u e d…

P l e a s e R e v i e w.

As you can see, this is the same ending as the preface. And yes, Naruto really is dead. Sorry...

iluvitachi93


	9. Waking Up

T r u t h

C h a p t e r VIII

_I'm…so tired. Maybe I'll sleep for a while…_

_No! You have to keep trying or you'll die. Another voice in my head told me. I knew I had to keep trying, but I couldn't move any longer._

_What's the point of trying? I…I can't…_

_I shut my eyes once more and began drifting off to sleep. I thought, this is it. This is how I'll die._

_And…I'll never see Itachi again…_

_I wish I could see his face…just once more before I die. I miss him…_

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

My dark eyes snapped open and I realized I was lying in a hospital, hooked up to several machines.

The sterile scent made it hard to ignore that I was, in fact, alive after all. Looking around the white hospital room, I found that I was alone.

Giving a loud sigh, I let my head fall back into the pillow of the hospital bed. I soon found myself extremely annoyed by the incessant beeping in the otherwise silent room. I opened my mouth to call out for someone, but my voice came out in a hoarse painful whisper. My throat was really sore and I became aware of my thirst for water.

My eyes wandered to a blue button just beside me labeled: Press For Assistance. But when I was about to press the said button, someone entered the room.

It was Itachi.

His flawless pale face gave away no emotion, but it was safe to assume that he wasn't happy with me. Slowly, I shrank into the sheets, bracing myself for whatever he might say.

"Sasuke." his voice was stern.

"Y…yes." I whispered in a dreading tone.

"Damn it, Sasuke…" I saw as he clenched his hands into fists. My heart sank. He was really angry this time…angrier than I thought he'd be. "…you're so selfish." he continued. I looked away, afraid he'd glare at me. "How could you decide to give up trying to swim to the surface just like that?" Itachi's voice grew louder. "Didn't you think about me?! About how I would feel if you died?" I dared to glance at his face.

But what I saw shocked me, catching me completely off guard.

His expression was no longer angry, but frightened.

His eyes weren't glaring…

They were crying.

I tried to speak, but nothing came out right. "I…I…didn't think you'd come…" I bit my lip. "…I-I was really numb! I…c-couldn't move or breath or think…I--"

It was then that Itachi gripped me by my shoulders. Hesitantly, I gazed into my brother's dark eyes that were growing angry again. "I don't care! You should have tried, Sasuke! You gave up so quickly…and that's what scares me! What if one day, you're not so lucky?! What if one day, I get there too late to save you!"

It was my turn to cry. And through my loud sobs, I apologized over and over, barely realizing the embrace I was suddenly pulled into. "I-I'm sorry…I was stupid…I'm sorry, Itachi…"

For a while, neither one of us spoke. And then…

"…why does it seem like…" I avoided looking into my brother's eyes as I continued. "Like everyone I ever get close to…they always leave…"

"That's not true--"

"Yes it is! Mom, Dad, N-Naruto…e-even you've left me before." I curled up into a ball, glancing up at my brother's devastated face.

"…but, Sasuke, I'm here now. I…I said I'd never leave you and I wont. What…what happened to Naruto…and even what happened to Mom or Dad…none of that was your fault. You always blame yourself, Sasuke…"

Itachi… I thought to myself. …you're always telling me things like this, but you're the same as me. You also blame yourself, even though it's not your fault…

"Now," Itachi pulled away from me. "Sasuke you need to rest. I'll be in the waiting room if you want me." He stood up, turning to leave.

"Wait." I grabbed the back of his shirt. "…A-Aniki…" I whispered quietly as I felt my cheeks turn a light shade of pink.

"Would you like me to stay?" He asked me, a small smile playing at his lips.

"…can you?" I bit my lip, feeling a bit childish for requesting his presence.

Itachi leaned in, kissing my forehead before telling me, "Go to sleep, Sasuke. I'll still be here when you wake up."

A full week passed and I returned to my normal routine at school. I was fully recovered by then, save for a couple cuts and bruises from the impact of the ice to my skin. The news of my 'accident' quickly spread to my classmates. Many worried students, mainly girls, came up to me, expressing their concern.

However, the teachers weren't as sympathetic, forcing homework onto me, regardless of any tragedy I beheld. I didn't mind it, finding homework to be the least of my problems at the moment.

Both Orochimaru and Kabuto were out there. And until I knew they were either locked up or dead, I had to stay alert.

Eventually, I walked into the cafeteria for lunch. Finding myself without much of an appetite, I sat alone at my usual lunch table, playing with my food.

Suddenly, a group of students invited themselves to sit around me. Barely acknowledging them, I still didn't look up from the meal I continued to destroy. But soon, I couldn't ignore them any longer when one of the girls started to talk to me.

"…was wondering if you'd like to go to movies with me. I heard of a few good ones coming out this weekend…" The pink haired girl continued to unknowingly talk to herself as I pretended to listen. And then finally she paused, blushing as my dark eyes met her own green ones. "W…would you l-like to go?"

"I'm sorry, what?" I frowned.

"Ooh, can I come too?" A kid with brown spiky hair asked her. I saw her scowl as other kids wanted to come.

"To…the movies." she repeated to me.

"Can I come too, Sakura? I want to see this one movie. It's called, The--"An overly cheerful boy with a black bowl hair cut asked her.

"Lee, I wasn't asking you, I--" She said angrily to the boy named Lee.

At that moment, my cell phone went off and I quickly left the group of noisy students. Looking at the screen of my phone, my eyes widened as I saw who the caller was.

The screen read, Naruto Uzumaki.

But how could he be calling me? Naruto was dead. Surely Kakashi ended Naruto's cell phone plan already. My phone continued to ring, so I decided to answer it.

"W…who is this?" I asked in barely a whisper.

I heard a laugh on the other end. "Hello, Sasuke. What an unexpected surprise to hear you alive and breathing." It was Orochimaru.

"…what do you want?" I said in a much braver tone, though I was clearly terrified.

"I was just wondering if you'd like to say 'hello' to your brother." the golden eyed man said to me in an amused voice.

"What are you talking about--"

I heard Orochimaru give the phone to someone. "Sasuke?" I heard a familiar voice speak from my cell phone. "Sasuke, don't listen to hi--" It was without a doubt, Itachi's voice that I heard.

"Come to your apartment within thirty minutes or Itachi dies." Orochimaru told me before adding. "And Sasuke, please come alone or I'll have to kill both of you…"

"Wait, let me speak to Itachi again!" There was no response. "Itachi?! Itachi!!" I screamed frantically, but Orochimaru hung up.

T o B e C o n t i n u e d…

P l e a s e R e v i e w.

Sorry it took so long for me to update.

iluvitachi93


	10. He Pulled The Trigger

T r u t h

C h a p t e r IX

Maybe it was stupid to show up, attempting to play the heroic card on everyone. I had a vague idea of a plan, but the likelihood of it succeeding was very slim. But what could I seriously think up within the thirty minutes I had to gather my courage and march myself up to, very possibly, my death.

I stood among my enemies, frightened as hell, but unwilling to show it on my face as a brave façade took over.

Kabuto's eyes flickered dangerously from behind the reflecting light of his glasses. His think lips curved up into a sickening smirk as he saw right through my mask. The silver haired boy adjusted his glasses before approaching me. With every step closer toward me, I inched further and further away, my hands behind me, blindly searching for my back up plan incase something were to happen to Itachi.

"Sasuke…" Kabuto reached out to grab me by the shoulders but suddenly stopped as Orochimaru's voice interrupted him.

"Kabuto, wait." the pale man's voice was calm, his golden eyes amused as they looked onto my own. "Sasuke has the right to know exactly what is going to happen. Please bring Itachi out, Kabuto."

The silver haired boy backed away from me, exiting the living room where I was, to Itachi's and my bedroom.

My attention was pulled back away from Kabuto when Orochimaru suddenly said, "Sasuke, I'll be absolutely truthful about this." He paused briefly as Itachi stumbled into the room.

Kabuto shoved him to the ground. His arms and legs were tied tightly with rough rope and it cut into his beautiful pale skin. Itachi was also blindfolded and gagged. He couldn't speak to me. He couldn't see me. I wondered if he knew I was here yet.

"I'm going to kill you in front of Itachi and then I'm going to enslave your dear brother…" the man's pale fingers touched Itachi's cheek and my brother jerked away in disgust. "…until he's begging me to kill him." Orochimaru pulled the blindfold off and away from Itachi and our eyes met. His own dark eyes full of pain and mine full of horror.

My eyes widened and the fear was leaking out from the brave face I tried so hard to control. I felt my lips move, but my words came out as a ghost of a whisper as I asked him, "…wh-why?"

His answer was simple, but not what I expected in the slightest. "Because I can." he grinned. "Because I need a bit of amusement in this dull life of mine and I happened to find exactly what I was looking for, Sasuke. I want to see your brother squirm." Orochimaru continued to explain. "I want to see the horror in his eyes as he witnesses your death, helplessly."

I didn't understand. _How did he know us? Why did he develop this…obsession to see us suffer of all people? What was the relationship between him and Itachi? What did he do to my mother all those nights she returned later from work than usual?_ My confusion must have surfaced to my face as Orochimaru raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?" he stepped forward and I pressed myself as far into the bookshelves as I could, feeling the cool metal of a box on my arms from behind me. "Have you not asked Itachi about me yet, Sasuke? Or is it that Itachi has avoided answering your questions? Hm?" the stringy black haired man's golden eyes shifted from me to Itachi.

I looked down, afraid to meet any of the three men's eyes. Especially Itachi's. I didn't want to know the truth. Maybe I was better off not knowing. I was scared to find out.

I dared to glance back up, only to find Itachi struggling in the ropes that bound his hands and feet. Kabuto pulled out a gun, raising it in my direction. "Stop fucking around, Itachi. Keep moving and I'll have no problem killing Sasuke now." the silver haired man told my brother in a calm, yet dangerous voice, but still managed to wear a smile on his face. Itachi stopped suddenly and Kabuto put the gun away once more.

I tore my gaze away from my distressed brother as the golden eyed man spoke once more.

"Sasuke, do you know the name of the man your brother killed in the alleyway?" Sasuke shook his head. Orochimaru laughed. "Neither do I. That man was trying to help you. Trying to save you…from me."

"Y…what?" Sasuke whispered, his eyes wide in disbelief.

_"Itachi…I think…I think I remember something from that day in the alleyway." I turned over, facing Itachi. "I…was walking near that alley…a-and that man came up behind me. I felt him behind him…I,I turned but I don't remember anything after seeing the man's eyes." I frowned, trying to think back. "I can't get his eyes out of my mind. T-they keep staring at me…"(1)_

_What color were the man's eyes?_

_Golden._

"It was really me, Sasuke. I saw you, adorable as you were as a child, walking innocently from school. Unfortunately, that man Itachi murdered had…interrupted me." Orochimaru gave a sick smile. "And then, when your brave older brother came to 'save' you, he didn't even give the man a chance to explain himself before he killed him. I watched him take you home."

I stared in silent shock at my true attacker from so long ago.

"I was really surprised when Itachi joined Akatsuki. Akatsuki is a group of assassins, Sasuke. Itachi kills for money now. Did you know that? I know he killed his own father and all, but I never thought he'd take a profession in killin--"

"…s-shut up." I hissed angrily.

Orochimaru smirked, enjoying my vulnerability . "And so finally, when I found your mother completely messed up, I decided to give her therapy sessions for only a small payment. Would you like me to tell you what I told her, Sasuke?" the man's smirk widened.

"…w-what did you do." I said, my hands clenching into tight fists.

"I told her that it was all your fault. I told her that the only way to solve her problems was to take revenge and kill you. I told her that it was your father's wish--"

"YOU BASTARD!" I yelled at him but froze as he raised his gun.

The golden eyed man just laughed at my helplessness.

And then I remembered. I remembered what my mother had said to me. It made sense now.

_I stepped back further, my back against the wall now. "P…please…"I managed to stutter. "D-don't do th…this."_

_"I-I have t-to." she cried, holding the knife to my neck. "H-he told me…it would be all better…once y-you were gone. H-he told me to g-get…revenge-" My mom said to me before she jerked around. There, standing in the doorway was Itachi, looking down at Mom with murderous eyes as he pointed a gun aiming at her head. "I-Itachi…"(2)_

Orochimaru pulled out a gun, pointing it in my direction. "Now originally, I was going to kill you in front of your brother and keep him for myself. But just seeing your expression now…I think it'd be so much more fun if I were to kill Itachi instead."

Kabuto ripped the duct tape from Itachi's mouth to let him speak. "S…Sasuke." I heard him say.

Orochimaru suddenly shifted the gun, pointing it directly at my brother. Itachi, unable to do anything to help himself, tensed and looked directly at my horror-stricken face. "Yes, I'm sure it will be far more interesting if it ended like this." the golden eyed man gave a disturbingly pleased smile that made me nauseas.

If I were to move, even an inch from where I stood, Itachi was dead. So, in order to savor the moments I had left with my brother, I stayed put. In horror. In shock.

"P-please," I begged. "Don't do this! Kill me. Kill m-me instead. Please!" tears were running down my face. This just satisfied the man even further.

I looked back at Itachi, his horrified, dark beautiful eyes staring at me. "Sasuke…get out of here. Find Deidara and get the hell out of the city." I bit my lip, shaking my head. I couldn't. I wouldn't…I had to stay with him.

"Now, Sasuke, watch your beloved older brother…die."

"NOO!!" I heard myself scream as I felt the cold metal in my hands.

BANG.

Itachi fell to the floor.

T o B e C o n t i n u e d . . .

P l e a s e R e v i e w.

Sorry it took so long for me to update. School is starting again and I had to deal with 'getting to know you' crap from the teachers. Sorry, sorry. Hope you liked it.

_(1)From Chapter III of Truth  
(2)From Chapter X of Red Water_

iluvitachi93


	11. Dead Eyes

T r u t h

C h a p t e r X

_"A-aniki…" large dark crying orbs stared up at the older Uchiha. "Aniki…remember when you took me to the lake and we played all day?"_

_"Uh huh." Itachi answered me quietly as his gentle hands carefully bandaged my wounds. The wounds I received from my dad. His eyes seemed calm, but he could not fully mask the anger I knew he felt. I told him not to do anything. I told him I'd be alright._

_And he listened._

_"…lets go there again, OK?" I asked him, a small smile tugged at my lips. The smile was forced, Itachi knew, and I could taste my salty tears._

_"Yeah, alright." He nodded as he finished tying the bandages._

_Resting my head on my pillow, a real smile began to form as I thought, 'He's always there for me. I love him so much. He'll always be there…'_

I dared myself to open my eyes. A small puddle of blood surrounded my fallen brother. I froze in horror, watching the puddle grow from beneath Itachi. In my hands, I clutched a gun tightly. The same gun I pointed at my mother the day she committed suicide. But it was finally when I heard a loud shriek that I was brought back to my senses.

"Orochimaru!" I heard Kabuto shout. My bullet had hit an artery in his pale throat. Blood that pumped freshly from his heart now poured down his neck, staining his crisp white shirt red. His pale ivory skin was painted a glistening crimson.

Like an unwanted doll, Orochimaru crumpled to the floor after gasping his last breath of air. The man was dead. I felt the rapid pounding of my heart as I quickly turned the gun to Orochimaru's assistant. At that moment, Kabuto was about to lift his own weapon, but stopped, knowing it'd be impossible to shoot me without also getting shot.

I was about to pull the trigger a second time as I was blinded by my anger, but suddenly Kabuto yelled, "Sasuke, no!" the silver haired man's arm's rose above his head and his gun hung loosely on his fingers. "Wait. We can work something out, Sasuke." he tried to reason. "Orochimaru forced me to do those things! Look, I'll…I'll put down my gun." Kabuto slowly lowered the gun, tossing it on the floor as it splashed in a pool of Orochimaru's blood.

My gun had been pointed directly at his head and I lowered it just as slowly as he had. He let out a shaky breath of relief as he said, "Sasuke, I'm so s—" I squeezed down on the trigger, piercing him right in the heart with my bullet as a loud bang sounded throughout the room.

I watched the horror on his face before he slumped onto the ground. I still stood before all three bleeding bodies in silent shock and the gun slipped from my hand, clattering to the floor noisily. My knees gave out and I collapsed in the growing pool of crimson, hardly noticing as the liquid stained my clothes and skin. I had murdered two men. Once again, dead eyes stared blankly at me.

All of a sudden, a groan took me away from my thoughts and a weak voice said, "Sasuke, look at me." My eyes shifted as I saw Itachi move.

"Itachi!" I scrambled to my feet, suddenly finding strength as my brother called to me. "Itachi…what—" Orochimaru had missed my brother's heart, hitting his left arm instead. Itachi clutched his bloodied arm, but stayed calm as I stumbled in his direction.

Itachi slowly pulled out a slip of paper from his wallet and handed it to me. Seven digits were written in his neat script. In a calm tone, my older brother said, "Sa…Sasuke, listen." I still stared down at the gun lying feet away from me with wide eyes. I couldn't believe I just killed them. "Sasuke, please listen to me. Call this number…tell them that I told you to call. Instruct them to come to this apartment and erase Orochimaru and Kabuto."

"E…erase?" I whispered in a horrified voice.

"Sasuke, you're not a murderer. I'm not going to let you get sent to prison for this. Please just do as I say." Itachi gave me a reassuring look as he clutched his bleeding arm. "Everything's going to be alright…" He told me as he tried to conceal his pain.

I only nodded, groping for my cell phone. With shaky hands, I pressed the correct digits into the small silver phone. Finally, someone answered in a familiar voice with, "This is Sasori. What is it?" Sasori…Deidara's friend, I remembered.

"T-this is Sasuke Uchiha. Itachi told me to c-call you. He said to have you come to our apartment and erase O…Orochimaru and Kabuto." I said just above a whisper. Glancing at my injured brother, I bit my lip to stop myself from crying.

"Fine. I'll tell Deidara to come and pick you up." I heard the man tell me.

"…I-Itachi's hurt…s-should I call--"

"No." he interrupted. "Don't call an ambulance. Itachi will be fine as long as you do as I say, brat. Now don't do anything stupid and wait for Dei."

The tone went dead and I snapped my phone shut. Itachi's sleeve was completely soaked with his own blood. Rushing to his side, I looked at him with frantic eyes. "Itachi…tell me what to do…"

"Sa…Sasuke…tear a piece of cl…cloth and tie it tightly above the wound…to stop bleeding." Itachi's voice was weaker. He was loosing too much blood and I knew it. I didn't care about going to jail for what I did now. I just wanted Itachi to live. I was so very tempted to just call an ambulance, but I knew Itachi wanted me to follow Sasori's instructions.

Without hesitation, I took Kabuto's knife out of the dead boy's pant pocket and slit part of the sleeve of my shirt before ripping it off all together. Gently, I lifted Itachi's arm, tying the cloth tightly as he ordered. I avoided my brother's face as I did this, afraid to see the pain on his face. But his uninjured hand suddenly cupped my tear stained face and I looked at him, finding his expression very much the opposite of what I had thought. His eyes were sad and even as I continued to tighten the cloth around his wounded arm, he didn't wince or complain.

And we sat in silence, gazing at one another.

BAM! Hearing the door of the apartment burst open, I jerked around and quickly grabbed the gun once more, holding it up in the direction of the sound. My eyes looked wildly up at the approaching person. But when Deidara's overly cheery face appeared, I sighed, putting it down again.

"Hi, Sasuke!" The blond waved as he approached me. He didn't even seem the slightest bit worried as he glanced at my bleeding brother. "Tsk, tsk, Itachi. It's not like you to get hurt like that." Deidara shook his head in mocking disappointment.

Without so much as a glance at the two dead bodies surrounding me, Deidara walked closer, stepping over Kabuto's body before kneeling beside me. "Come. We've gotta go now."

I only nodded as he out his hand for me. I stood up, taking the hand and we began walking out of the room. I stopped. "Wait. I-Itachi's coming too, right?"

The blond man shook his head. "Nope. I'm just here to pick you up."

"You can't just leave Itachi here! What if he bleeds to death?!" I asked in a worried tone.

"He's not gonna bleed to death, Sasuke. I think I know Itachi well enough to know he'll survive no matter how much you want him dead." Deidara rolled his eyes. "Come, Sasori will be pissed off with me if I don't get you out soon." But I didn't move, looking over at my weakened brother.

I didn't want to leave him. Not like that.

"Deidara, I told you to get the kid out as quickly as possible. What are you doing, standing around?" A voice growled from the front door. I jerked around, surprised by Sasori's sudden appearance. Several other men entered the apartment, but the only two I recognized were Sasori and Kisame.

"See? What did I tell you, Sasuke?" Deidara did not look pleased. Obediently, I followed him to his car and he quickly drove away from my apartment.

It was silent as the blond man drove and he made no attempt to start a conversation with me. My finger nails dug into my pale flesh without my realizing as I stared wide eyed out the window.

This wasn't real.

How could this be real? How could I kill someone? That would make me a…

_…a murderer._

T o B e C o n t i n u e d . . .

P l e a s e R e v i e w

iluvitachi93


	12. Truth

T r u t h

C h a p t e r XI

_He told me to wash up. I only nodded, looking down at my damp crimson clothes and feeling sick to my stomach. I slowly made my way toward Deidara's bathroom, locking the door behind me before catching sight of my reflection. The nauseating feeling inside grew as I realized that half of my face had been stained in blood. _'Murderer.'_ No, there was nothing I could do…it was self defense! _'But Kabuto…he begged me not to kill him and I…'_ But he killed Naruto! _'That's called revenge.'_ I tried to wash it off, but even as the dark stain started to come off of my ivory skin, a reddish-pink color remained._

Akatsuki had disguised it merely as an 'accidental pull of the trigger when Itachi had been cleaning his gun'. In the eyes of the hospital nurses and doctors, Itachi was just an idiot that hadn't been careful enough while handling a gun.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke."

"Hn."

"I'm sorry."

"…yeah."

"Sorry."

"I know."

"Sorry." Itachi whispered. And I knew he meant it. "…do you hate me?"

"No."

"Are you scared of me?"

"No."

"Do you forgive me?"

"No."

"What can I do to…"

"You lied." I glared at the floor, disgusted by myself for knowing I was hurting him with my words. "You lied right to my face every day since the moment we found each other again. How can I trust you ever again? Hell, you could be lying to me right now." Was it really about this?

"…well, I guess that's for you to decide. Do you think I'm lying to you?" There was a long silence between us, the only noise in the room being the beeping of machines as I stood in Itachi's hospital room. I looked into his solemn dark eyes before shaking my head. "…please…believe me when I say I was only keeping my job from you so you wouldn't ever get involved."

"Look how that turned out." I muttered in an irritated voice. Another silence filled the room and I waited for Itachi to say something else, but he didn't.

I barely realized as my hands clenched into fists as I fought back tears. My hair veiled my crying eyes as I spoke again. "…I-I'm tired of all of this. Why don't you just die then?! Everyone else has! A…and for what? What was the point of their death? Naruto didn't do anything! He…he loved me…and I turned him down flat. A…and then he…Kabuto…" I turned away from my brother, biting down on my lip to keep from breaking down. "…I'll promise you one thing, Itachi. When you die, I'll die, too. That's just the way it will be…because I don't think I'd be able to take it if I lost you too."

And then I ran, unable to keep the tears from falling any longer. My eyes stung. My chest hurt. My hands shook.

Itachi came back from the hospital half a day later. I didn't come out of our room to greet his return, too embarrassed by what I had told him before. Now that I replayed our conversation in my head, I regretted ever saying those things to Itachi. I felt stupid for even thinking I wanted Itachi dead.

Deidara was there. The muffled voices of my brother and his blond friend seeped into my room and I couldn't help but listen as they spoke.

"…he's been in there ever since he got home." Deidara sighed, his voice clearly hinting his disappointment.

"It's to be expected. He's been through a lot. Let him be." My brother told the blond.

"But he's been crying all that time, too. I could hear him through the door. Itachi, you should talk to him." Deidara urged Itachi.

"…he doesn't want to talk to me. After what I've done…what I've hidden from him all this time…I don't blame him."

"Just go in. If he yells at you, you can leave him alone for another day. But if he doesn't…"

"Alright fine."

I heard footsteps approach and I tried to prepare myself. What would I say? What would he say? How could I say anything? I don't deserve him. Nervousness and slight nausea hit me as the door of our room opened slowly, a stream of light piercing through the darkness as it opened wider.

I squinted as Itachi's shadow approached. Kneeling down beside me, he whispered my name, "Sasuke,"

I didn't respond, not even blinking as he spoke in his calming voice. The voice I secretly longed for even as I sat, angry at him for lying to me.

"Sasuke, please say something." Itachi reached out to brush strands of hair out of my eyes. "…you can hate me. I don't blame you if you never forgive me. I…I'll never be able to forgive myself for putting you in danger like that."

I still didn't respond, fighting the urge to throw my arms around his neck and tell him I forgave him.

"…these hands…" Itachi took my trembling pale hands into his own. "…s-should never have been stained with blood." At the change of his voice, I couldn't help but turn to see his face. Even in the darkness, I could see straying tears from his eyes.

"Th-that's not even it anymore, Itachi. I was s-so scared…I thought you were dead…a-and I was freaking out." I breathed. "Itachi, I shot them, not even caring if I died along with them. I…I shot them even as Kabuto begged me not to. I…I…" Itachi pulled me down and hugged me with his good arm. I immediately relaxed in his safe warm embrace and rested my head upon his chest, shutting my eyes as tears fell down my cheeks.

The pregnant silence was finally broken at Itachi's strained whisper. "I try…so, so hard to keep you away from death and murder. I've tried to shelter you, keeping you isolated from the other world I work in. You've encountered things no one your age should ever have to deal with and…and it's all my fault. Everyday…I…I hated myself for keeping such a big part of my life from you. And I'd be lying…if I told you that my only reason for hiding it was to keep you safe. I was…terrified as to how you'd think of me."

"I'm not scared of you." I insisted as I sat up, brushing fallen tears away.

"Sasuke…I…" Itachi faltered, his words becoming even softer than before. "…I want to believe that…but I could see it in your eyes when Orochimaru told you…about me."

"I was just surprised. That's all!" I growled, grabbing his shoulders in frustration. He didn't even wince as I jerked his bandaged arm. "I'm not scared. You are everything to me, Itachi."

Itachi looked away from me, quiet for a while before he asked me," Then why do you tremble every time I touch you? In the hospital…and now…"

I froze, my grip on him loosening slightly.

"You've got it all wrong, Itachi." I shook my head. "I'm not scared of you…not even a little. I just…I'm scared of the day you don't come home. Now that I know what you are…what if there's another Orochimaru…and what if I can't save you next time?"

"There wont be a next time, Sasuke. As long as you're not involved in another one of these, I promise I'll always come home to you. I swear I'll keep you safe now." Itachi pulled me into his embrace once more. "I know I've promised a lot of things in the past, but this is the truth, Sasuke. I won't ever let you get mixed up in any of this ever again."

If there's one thing I've realized, it's that life goes on, no matter what I do to try and stop it— no matter how tragic of an event someone goes through. Itachi was almost murdered before my eyes, and still here I was. Naruto was dead, killed for no particular reason, and still I remained in this world. With time, the students at my school slowly healed from the tragedy that was Naruto Uzumaki. Even I began to heal, though a gaping hole replaced the part of me that belonged to Naruto. And with time, my eighteenth birthday arrived…

His lips gently grazed my neck, slowly moving toward my collar bone as I breathed his name into his ear. My eyes slowly opened and…

_'I saw Itachi standing over me, a bloody plank in hand and beside him, a man lying crumpled on the ground in his own blood. His eyes were looking at nothing and he wasn't moving.'(1)_

Tears rolled down my pale cheeks as I cried out his name and told him…

_'"…I love you." I whispered. My mom's sobs went silent and I could feel something wet begin to soak my shirt. I quickly pulled away, my mom falling limply onto the ground. Most of the front of my shirt was stained in blood. My mom's blood.'(2)_

I lay beside him in our twisted white bed sheets, barely able to keep my eyes open for much longer. Itachi turned to me, cupping my face with his hands before…

_He let out a shaky breath of relief as he said, "Sasuke, I'm so s—" I squeezed down on the trigger, piercing him right in the heart with my bullet as a loud bang sounded throughout the room.' (3)_

All these memories that have haunted me…all of them didn't matter to me any longer. The only thing that mattered to me now was my brother, and him alone. Itachi was my life…without him, I was dead. Whether I would have to kill two men, or twenty…it made no difference as long as Itachi was safe.

He was all I had.

All I cared about now.

And so I decided that I didn't care about the small things that held us apart. I didn't care about the secrets Itachi hid from me. I didn't care about what kind of a person he was. I didn't care about the things that he had done in the past.

As long as he was here with me, here protecting me and loving me, I didn't care about anything else.

And that was the truth.

T h e E n d

Yay, I'm finished! I hope people are still reading this…I know I took a long time posting this last chapter. And I hope you all understand the italicized parts at the end. Those are flashbacks from throughout Red Water and Truth. Anyways, bye for now!  
_(1) Red Water I  
(2) Red Water X  
(3) Truth X_

iluvitachi93


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